


Without Armor

by daalny



Category: Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 08:52:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16115030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daalny/pseuds/daalny
Summary: The events after the wedding and coronation.





	Without Armor

**Author's Note:**

> The characters in this story belong to Sherwood Smith. No infringement of any kind is intended.

Quill, ink, scroll. Those things I have used to touch this woman. Tonight I used my hands to actually touch her and I'm struck by the enormity of it. How many times have my hands caressed a parchment scroll wishing it was her? I've held her before under different more awful circumstances. I held her small body against mine layers of cloth between us. Tonight I held her against me with nothing between us.

I can hear her breathing beside me. She's nestled against me asleep. My hand continues to caress the skin of her back. I try to close my eyes and join her in sleep but whenever I do my mind wanders back to just a few hours ago.

_"My, Lord" I look up and see the kind face of Mora the favored maid of my love. She simply nods and I get up, it's time. The feasts for the wedding and coronation will go on for weeks. I wonder how many guests linger downstairs. That thought leaves me as I approach the tapestry. On the other side of that tapestry is my wife. We were once enemies. At the tavern she stood on the other side of the tapestry not knowing I was inside. I know she's inside and I'm confident and frightened. I reach out and grab the cloth once the tapestry is moved I see her, once she sees me her eyes seem to come alive. My hands involuntarily clench which lets me feel the cool metal of my ring and I calm. That ring, Life! The ring I gave her has been moved to her heart finger._

_As I move toward her she rises and we come together in a crash. Her mouth is on mine and I groan into it. My hands roam over her small frame. Her hands are gripping the front of my tunic and she pushes me away. We break apart and wonder what I have done wrong. The answer is nothing as her hands move my tunic up I take over and pull the tunic up and off. I had wondered what her reaction would be. Her childhood friend Oria had told me that she has never been with a man. I had gathered as much, what isn't well known is that I have never been with a woman._

_Savona tried to speak with me this morning his normal confidence seemed to be jostled. I knew the topic he wanted to speak of but I waved him off. The one benefit I have is the library, I've read many a history on the aspects of pleasure. I remember my embarrassment of my father making note of what books I had borrowed. I hope my studies will benefit both of us. I don't remember grabbing the hem of her nightgown but I find my my fists full of fabric. The air seems thick as I pull her nightgown off._

_Life! She is perfect, my eyes sweep from her neck all the way down to her feet. I see the scar on her ankle. I'll take a sword to myself if I bring her pain tonight. Her hands are on me again and my head snaps back. I shove my remaining clothes to the floor and once again we come together. There is no chain-mail, no cloaks, no gowns, just Meliara. Warm, smooth and alive. Her hands are not idle and I'm overcome with the urge to laugh but I swallow it. I wonder if my palms are too rough, years of swordwork have marked my hands with callouses. Nevertheless, she mewls when my palm cups her breast. Her cry is beautiful and haunting. Last week she took me to the border and we waited for what seemed like hours before they appeared-- The hill folk. That experience changed me and I think the experience I'm about to have will change me as well._

_I feel something against the back of my knees and part of my brain registers that this must be the bed. We fall together, the down mattress makes muffled thump as we make contact. Her weight is upon me and I relish in it, my hands anchor on her hips, I roll her beneath me and she sighs. My knee parts her thighs and I wait. I need to breathe deeply to try and give myself some control. I can feel the heel of her right foot against my thigh and I move forward. Part of my mind now tells me that our marriage is now consummated and the other part of my minds screams for it to be quiet. Meliara is holding onto my shoulders and urges me to move and I do. The room is filled with the sounds of our labored breathing as we move together to bring each other pleasure. She whispers my name and I actually make noise for the experience overwhelms me._

The tolling of the bells for the change of the candles snaps me back to the present. Meliara snuggles against me in her sleep and I sigh and close my eyes and follow my queen into sleep.


End file.
